The Ulitimate Consequence
by VioletStrike
Summary: After the explosion at the Nasty Burger, Danny struggles to cope with his impending future. As his ghost half becomes more malevolent, can Danny fight hard enough to prevent his terrible future? Rated T for safety. Chapter Thirteen now up.
1. Introduction

**The Ultimate Consequence by PhantomPhorever16**

**Note: I don't owe DP or any of the other characters. Or "The Ultimate Enemy".**

**Introduction**

Having control over all time and space isn't as enjoyable as it looks. Many think that with the kind of power I have, I can make the world however I want. I could stop things in the past from happening, so as to prevent things in the future from happening. I can assure you, it's not as easy as this. If it were, I wouldn't be telling you the story I am going to tell now.

You all have heard of Danny Phantom. An odd boy, if I do say so myself. Half human…. half ghost. But unlike most humans, young Danny decided to use his gained powers to keep evil at bay. Using everything in him to keep those he cares about safe. A true super hero.

It amazes even me to say that he could have been the complete opposite.

I was recently charged with a hard task to deal with: I had to destroy Danny Phantom. He was believed to be a threat to the world. An apocalypse of sorts. The Observants believed that the only way to stop him was to eliminate him. I, however, knew that the boy would make the right decision, even if he did need a second chance to do it. And he did. The future was saved.

You know what happened, I presume. Danny acquired the answers to an important test. He was sure he was going to cheat, but once he saw what would happen to his future if he did, he knew he had made the wrong choice. But, his evil self was determined to have the future stay exactly how it was. He threw young Danny into the Ghost Zone and threw on the guise of his fourteen-year-old self. Malevolent Danny cheated on the test, and leaded Danny's family, friends, and teacher to The Nasty Burger. He knew that the fast food restaurant would explode any minute, due to the overheating of chemicals in the building. That was the key: have all of the people he cared about eradicated so his future would come true.

However, he didn't expect his past self to show up and defeat him. But even though Danny was able to overthrow his future identity, if it weren't for me, the future would be doomed.

Yet, many, ghost and human alike, have asked me the same question: what would have happened if I hadn't stepped in? Not in general. You know that much. But exactly? What would have happened after the explosion?

And that is exactly where this story starts.


	2. The Explosion

**Chapter One**

"NOOOOOOO!" Danny screamed as he watched the flames burst out before his eyes. He was seeing, but he wasn't believing. After all he had done, it had turned out like this after all.

The impact of the explosion blew Danny backwards. As he flew through the air, heat and flame washed over his body like a painful blanket of warmth. What he wouldn't give to be under a real blanket right then. What he wouldn't do to be able to be at home, lying in his bed, not thinking twice about the future or the past or the present or anything. Just laying underneath the covers of his bed… the only place he really felt safe.

Ever since he had become Danny Phantom after the lab accident that gave him ghost powers, Danny never really felt safe. He had enemies, all around. Ghosts, humans. Even his own parents wanted to destroy him. Well, not Danny Fenton. Danny Phantom.

But it wasn't as if he could quit being Danny Phantom. After all, who else was going to protect Amity Park from all the evil ghost that haunted the town?

Lately, and especially now, however, Danny wanted to just be plain old Danny Fenton again. After accidentally getting the answers to the all-important Career Aptitude Test, Danny thought about cheating. But he soon found out that if he did, dire consequences would follow. His whole family and all of his friends would have to pay his price. They would all die, and he would go into a fit of depression. Being overcome by grief, he'd ask his half-ghost arch-enemy and, ultimately, legal guardian, Vlad, to tear his ghost half away from his human half. His ghost half would then turn on Vlad and tear his ghost half away from his human half as well. Out of curiosity, Danny guessed, Danny's ghost half would merge with Vlad's ghost half, and become evil. Pure evil. Not an ounce of humanity would run through Danny Phantom's veins after that.

And Danny's human half would be destroyed.

And after he fought his evil, older self and even defeated him, the clock had run out. His parents, his sister, his two best friends, and his teacher were all gone.

Danny came to an agonizing halt as he was flattened against the side of a building. The heat and pieces of debris were smashing into his body, one after another. He was already beat from that day: fighting ghost after ghost, getting a new power. He didn't care, though. The physical toll he had taken that day was nothing compared to the beating his heart was taking.

After what seemed like forever of being unable to move, his body fell limply to the rough ground. Danny's already tattered face scraped unpleasantly against the cement and he landed on his arm awkwardly. Try as he might to move out of his distasteful position, Danny couldn't move. He hadn't enough energy to move his eyes to see what the rest of the scene was like. He just lay there, looking straight ahead.

He wasn't facing the place where The Nasty Burger had once been. And he was glad he wasn't. Danny had his fair share of curiosity. Curiosity was what got him his powers in the first place. But he didn't want to look at or even think about the scene that had just occurred. What he could see was smoke. Endless clouds of smoke, curling around his face, around the bricks of the building and every where else. It went up his nose, which made him even more disoriented than he already was.

Off in the distance, he could hear the flames flickering and the heat from the blaze was pulsation onto Danny's skin. Even though he couldn't see the sight, he could imagine it. Fire and chaos for an entire city block. But all the ones he cared about nowhere to be seen.

He was beginning to slip into unconsciousness. _Finally,_ he thought. He was begging for it so badly. Anything to escape the thoughts running through his head at that moment. He wouldn't even mind if he were killed.

He should have been killed. Not them.

But somewhere, though it seemed far off, Danny heard a familiar voice. And she was calling his name. "Danny!" she called out in desperation. "Danny! Where are you? Danny?"

His mind hadn't even figured out who the voice belonged to when he suddenly cried out, "Valerie?" in a hoarse voice that sounded very unlike him.

"Danny!" her voice kept saying as he fell into blackness.


	3. Awakening

**Chapter Two**

"Danny?" Valerie's voice said. "Can you hear me?"

Danny lifted his heavy eye lids a crack. Everything was blurry. The haziness was giving him a headache. He blinked rapidly a few times and everything came into clearer view.

He was in his room, lying on his bed. Valerie was standing over him, worried look upon her face.

"Valerie?" Danny rasped as he tried to sit up.

Valerie quickly put a hand on his shoulder, making him fall back onto the mattress. "Take it easy, Danny," she said. "You've been through a lot."

Danny relaxed a bit, although he didn't know how he could. With everything that had happened, he was lucky to not have died from frustration. "Valerie, did you see-?"

"I saw what happened, yeah," Valerie said. "But you don't have to worry about that right now."

"No," Danny said. "I do."

Valerie paused, looking the worst Danny had ever seen her. Her hair was a mess. She had dark circles under her eyes. She looked tired. Even more tired than Danny. She sighed and then asked, "Danny, do you know what happened?"

Danny was silent. Of course he did. He knew more than anyone. Because he was the cause of it. But he couldn't tell Valerie that. Among his human enemies, Valerie was one of them. Danny Phantom had caused her dad to lose his job, leaving them in a financial pothole. And he hadn't meant to, either. But Valerie Gray wasn't about to let Danny Phantom fly another day without an attempt to obliterate him. If Danny Fenton told her that he was also Danny Phantom, how would she react?

"Yes," Danny said. "I know what happened."

Valerie's eyes were filled with sorrow. "Danny…" she whispered. "I'm sorry."

Danny just looked at her. _Should I tell her?_ Danny wondered. _She doesn't mind Danny Fenton, and if I explain to her that Danny Phantom didn't mean to do what he did, she might be okay with the whole thing._

_Then again,_ he thought. _Danny Phantom tried explaining before and she wasn't that forgiving._

"It's not your fault," he said, finally. "It's mine."

Valerie looked at him, confused, for a moment. But then up the stairs, Danny heard someone call, "Valerie!"

"Coming, dad!" Valerie leapt up and sprinted to the door. But before she walked out, she took one last, sad look at Danny. Then she turned and left.

Danny just sat there, lying on his bed, scraped and bruised and completely miserable. Apart from Valerie, who else did he have? No one. He was completely alone. And he knew what was going to happen next.

_No,_ he thought. _I promised them I wouldn't turn into that. And I won't…_

_I can't._


	4. Valerie's Vendetta

**Hey! Ok, so I said I was going to update on Monday night, but I decided to do it early. PLEASE REVIEW! I NEED REVIEWS BADLY! IF YOU READ THIS, REVIEW IT! Lol, sorry about that! But please do review. Thanks!**

**Chapter Three**

Valerie walked slowly down the Fenton's staircase that led from Danny's room on the second story to the living room on the main level. She had just come out of the most heart-wrenching moment of her life. Danny was devastated. He might not have shown it much. But Valerie knew. She could just tell. It was something in his eyes that gave it away. They say that your eyes were the window to your soul, but Valerie didn't know that was actually true. She always thought it was a figure of speech. But she had looked into Danny's deepest thoughts through those blue eyes. And none of them were good.

"Is he awake?" Valerie's dad asked, as she made her way down the stairs. He was sitting on the Fenton's living room couch. Just sitting. Not doing anything else. Valerie knew her dad, and whenever he wasn't doing anything at all, he was overwhelmed. That much she knew. Then again, who wasn't at the moment?

"Just," Valerie replied, reaching the end of the stairs. "I talked to him a little. He knows what happened."

"Oh," her father hesitated. "Well… I guess that makes it easier on our part."

Valerie scoffed. "Yay for us," she mumbled as she walked to the window, setting her elbows of the ledge.

"Valerie, you know I didn't mean it like that," her dad said.

She sighed. "I know," she said. "It's just….. I can't help but feel bad for him."

Her father was silent. Valerie gazed out the window she was at. The Fenton home wasn't that far from the site of the explosion, so some hints of ash and debris were floating around in the air. Valerie was pretty sure that if she didn't see for herself what had happened not even a day ago, she wouldn't have noticed the particles. They were too miniscule for the unknowing eye. She wanted to open the window, just to take a whiff of the air outside to see if the smell of smoke was lingering. Just to see if the fragments she was seeing were real. But the fear of smelling the scent was what kept her elbows in their place.

"I still think he should go to a hospital," Valerie's dad said, breaking her through her thoughts.

"Well, that's not really possible, since half the hospital was destroyed in the explosion. I tried checking him in, remember? But there wasn't any room," Valerie explained for the thousandth time in the past nineteen hours. "Besides, I think he's fine now…well for the most part."

"Still-," her dad began.

"Dad, really. He'll be ok," Valerie reassured him, even though she wasn't so sure herself.

He sighed again. Valerie hated how choppy some conversations could get. Especially in serious situations. Someone would say something, there would be a short conversation, and then someone would sigh and there would be a long pause. Valerie was sick of it already. Sick of everything in this whole predicament. She wished she could make everything right. Since Valerie had rescued Danny from the scene at the Nasty Burger, her and her dad had appointed themselves Danny's temporary caretakers. He had nowhere else to go, after all. But Valerie wanted things to go back to normal not only for her and her father, but for Danny. For Danny, mainly. He was the real victim in this state of affairs.

"So, what are we going to do now?" Valerie asked.

"Well," her dad started. "We'll have to stay with him. At least until he finds his parents' will and we know who he's legal guardian is."

"Wait," Valerie stopped him, leaving her position at the window and turning to face her father. "'Until _he_ finds their will?'"

"Yes," her father said, as if it were obvious.

"Dad," Valerie said, choosing her words carefully. "I don't think Danny should have to do that. We could."

"Not without Danny's permission, we can't. Besides, he would at least have a clue as to where they kept it," her dad explained.

"But dad, I don't want-," she started.

"Valerie, I know you don't want him to do it and I know why. But despite what you think, Danny's not as fragile as you think he is. I don't know him as well as you do, but I know he's hard to bring down completely."

"You didn't see him up there in his room, dad," Valerie stated. "He's on the brink."

"I know you think so, but you don't know what's going on in his head. Only he does," Valerie's father said.

Valerie didn't know what to say to that, except for a small, "I know, dad."

She fell onto a nearby chair. This whole fiasco was too much for all of them. Danny's life was practically over, and Valerie knew it. No matter what her dad told her, she knew it. She couldn't stand to see him so besieged, either. How could she make things right for him? Well, she knew she'd have to bring the dead back to life in order to do that. That was impossible. Although, ghosts did exist. Maybe they were all ghosts.

_No way,_ she told herself. To Valerie, all ghosts were evil. She hadn't met a decent one yet. How could Danny's family, Sam, Tucker, and Mr. Lancer be ghosts? They were too pure at heart. They couldn't be ghosts.

But the topic of ghosts gave Valerie an idea. She might not have been able to bring everyone back, but she could destroy who was responsible for the whole mess.

Luckily, she knew who that was. And she was glad it was him, too.

"Dad," Valerie said after a long while. "Could I … ask you for something?"

"Sure," her dad answered. "What do you need?"

Valerie lowered her eyes and said darkly, "My ghost hunting gear back."

Her father halted. He had a look on his face that was a cross between shock and anger. "Valerie," he said. "How can you think of destroying that ghost boy at a time like this?"

"Because he's the cause of this," Valerie said, sitting up. "It's his fault!"

"Everything is his fault, isn't it?" her dad asked.

"I'm serious, dad. I saw him there." Valerie explained. "I was turning the corner yesterday when I saw everyone. Danny's family, Sam, Tucker, and Mr. Lancer were all bound, as far as I could tell, and inside the Nasty Burger. I didn't see Danny, but I saw _him_," The word "him" was dripping with poison as it left her lips. "Since I didn't have my gear, I turned around to get help. Then, I heard an explosion. Not a big one, but just big enough to get my attention. I turned back around, but as soon as I did, I heard this noise. It was like a ghostly wail, almost. As soon as it stopped, though, I kept going. When I got back to where I had just been, Phantom wasn't there any more. But Danny was. That's when the explosion happened. Don't you see, dad? It's all his fault Danny is miserable, and the least I could do is finish him. For Danny."

"No," her father said. "For Danny and yourself."

"Dad-,"

"Valerie, I know you think this gives you an excuse to destroy that ghost, but it doesn't. If what you say is true, I know Danny wouldn't want you to get hurt trying to defeat the thing that had already killed everything else he had. Not to mention, I wouldn't, either," He put his finger under her chin in a fatherly manner. "Valerie, too many lives have been lost already and I don't want you to lose yours, too."

Valerie just looked into her father's eyes. What he was saying was true. Danny wouldn't want her to do that. He wasn't the kind of guy to go vengeance-crazy like she did when the Phantom caused her father to lose his job and lose everything they own. Even if Danny's situation were worse than Valerie's, she knew he wouldn't react like she did. He wasn't like that. Not to mention, she didn't want to disappoint her father by getting hurt.

She looked at him for a moment more, then murmured, "Ok, dad."

Her father looked, needless to say, satisfied. "Good," he said. "I'll take your word for it, too." He cracked a small smile, kissed Valerie on the forehead and walked into the kitchen.

Valerie looked back out her window. She was farther away than she was before so the rubble hovering was invisible to her. But it was still there. And she had a strange feeling it would never go away.

Just like her feelings for the Phantom.

"Someday, ghost," she snarled under her breath. "You'll be mine. Count on it."


	5. Sleepless in Amity Park

**Chapter Four**

_"Danny!" he heard his arch enemy, Vlad, yell. Danny fell to the floor with a sickening thud. "Run now!" Vlad yelled._

_Danny opened his eyes. He was sprawled on the floor of Vlad's lab. He had hit his head on the cold tile fairly hard, but that wasn't why Danny was so confused. _Run?_ He wondered. _

_And then the words came flooding back to him._

_"Run? Where are they going to go?_

_"Where am I going to go?"_

_And then Danny knew what was happening. He lifted his head and saw what he hoped he never would._

_A ghostly green face of himself. Flaming white hair, and menacing red eyes. It was the face of pure evil. The face that made Danny want to die._

_Just like he was about to._

_It was his own worst fears realized. He was afraid this would happen. But he didn't know it would be so petrifying. Danny looked into his evil-self's blood-red eyes. Just doing so struck fear into Danny's heart. He started shivering in terror. _This can't be really happening, _he thought._

_His evil-self just looked at Danny blankly. It seemed he didn't know what to do next. But soon, he twisted his lips into a wicked grin and his forked tongue slithered out from between his teeth. His pointed fangs made Danny tremble even harder. _

_His evil-self raised a glowing red hand and Danny braced for impact. All he heard was the fire of the ecto-blast and himself, screaming in agony._

Danny sat straight up in bed. He was sweating so heavily that his shirt was sticking to his chest. Panting like a dog, he got up from his bed. He began to pace the floor.

He had just lived through the worse experience of his life. Before the explosion, Danny had gone to the future and found his enemy, Vlad, and he had told Danny what happened. When Danny was listening to the story, however, it didn't seem very real to him. It was just like one of those stories about the good old days his Grandpa Fenton used to tell him. He didn't realize that the story Vlad was telling was his story. The story that Danny hated. The story he wished he could change.

_No! _he thought. _You promised them, remember? You promised them all that you wouldn't turn into that! You're going to keep that promise!_

How hard would it be, really? All he would do was tell himself not to let Vlad rip his humanity out and it would all be settled. Not that hard.

Then why did it seem so difficult?

Danny looked at his clock. He had woken up earlier at about noon, but now it was nearly 9 o'clock at night. Nineteen hours unconscious and then another nine hours sleeping was a new record for him. Or for anybody, he imagined. Being out for that long just amazed him.

There was a knock on his bedroom door. "Danny?" Valerie's voice came. "Are you alright?" She opened the door. She was looking much better than she did earlier. Danny expected she must have gotten some sleep as well. Hers was probably much more needed.

"Uh… yeah, I'm fine," Danny replied. "Just…. had a bad dream, is all."

"Oh," Valerie said. "Well…" She paused, obviously not knowing what to say next. "Uh…. Can I get you anything?"

"I don't know," Danny answered.

"You hungry?" she asked.

"Uh…." He stammered. As a matter of fact, he was starving. He hadn't eaten anything for who knew how long. Not to mention he felt completely dehydrated. "Yeah, I am, actually."

Valerie smiled as best as she could. "I'll go get you something, then," she said, sweetly.

"Could I get some water, too?" Danny asked.

"Sure," Valerie said.

"Thanks."

Valerie left the doorway and Danny, alone with his thoughts._ Yet again,_ he thought. As if he hadn't done enough thinking as it was. But if the dream he just had really did come true, why would thinking matter in a few weeks? He'd be dead. At least his human half would.

He tried not to think about that. Danny had been near death before. But he had never really thought that one of these days he would die. Death seemed so far away. Pain and injury didn't, but death was one of the farthest things from him, it seemed.

_Ok, think about something else, Fenton,_ he told himself. _You're not going to die, remember? You aren't going to let that happen._

Valerie came back after a few minutes with a tray. She had brought a sandwich and a glass of water. "I didn't know exactly what you wanted, so I just threw something together. Hope you don't mind ham," she said.

Danny smiled wryly, accepting the tray. "Thanks," he said. He sat down on his bed and picked up the sandwich, glad food would always be around to distract him from his troubles.

As Danny took a couple of bites, Valerie asked, "So, what was your dream about?"

Danny nearly choked. "Uh…." He mumbled, swallowing his food quickly. "I'd rather not say."

Valerie looked at him sadly. "That's understandable," she said. "I shouldn't have asked."

"No," Danny stopped her. "It's ok. Really. I'd be asking questions, too." Danny wished desperately that he could switch places with Valerie right then. She had to have had it better than he did.

Valerie nodded, but said nothing more. Danny took a few more bites out of his sandwich and washed it down with the water. That glass of water had to be about the best thing Danny had ever tasted in his life. So cool and refreshing. He wanted to savor that feeling for eternity. A feeling that everything was fixed.

"So, my dad wants you to find your parents will," Valerie said, a bit hesitantly.

"Their will?" Danny questioned.

"Yeah," Valerie said. "I didn't want you to, but my dad thinks you should since it's your parents and you would have at least a clue as to where it is."

Danny nodded. But inside his head, he was screaming. That will was what would say he had to go live with Vlad Masters in the first place. If he found that will, it would be one step closer to the terrible future he feared so badly.

"Well, I wouldn't really know where to look," Danny lied. Of course he knew. He knew exactly where it was. But he didn't want to find it. Not ever.

"Well, do you think you could try to look for it?" Valerie asked.

"Uh….' Danny paused. He could say he tried. He could tell them all he looked everywhere but no luck. That would work, wouldn't it? No. Someone else would find it eventually. It was all inevitable.

"Yeah, I guess," Danny said.

Valerie nodded again and directed her eyes to the floor. Danny could tell she was uncomfortable. He would be, too. Standing next to this guy who had just lost everyone who he ever cared about was bound to be awkward. Especially since Danny was sure she had never been in this situation before. He felt bad for her.

"Danny…." Valerie started. "Do you….."

Danny waited, but she had stopped completely. "Do I… what?" he asked.

Valerie hesitated, but finally asked, "Do you know who did this?"

He knew. Boy, did he know. The one who did this was rotting in his Fenton Thermos, at the moment. Where was that thing, anyway? He'd have to find it later. But right now, he had to deal with Valerie. She couldn't know who really did it. That would blow his secret.

But again he thought, _What would be so bad about letting Valerie know?_ She would understand, wouldn't she? Valerie would never listen to Danny Phantom, but she would no doubt listen to Danny Fenton. At least, he thought so.

But still, he sighed and mumbled, "No."

Valerie nodded again. "Just wondered," she said. Although, there was something that told Danny she was hiding something.

"Well, my dad and I are going to stay here until we find out who you're going to go to," Valerie explained.

"Oh, you don't have to-," Danny began.

"No, it's fine. Really," she said. "My dad has to go to work tomorrow, and I'm going to take the day off from school to keep you company. I wouldn't expect you want to go to school tomorrow, would you?"

Danny shook his head.

"Didn't think so," she said. "So we can just hang out around here, I guess."

"Yeah, that'd be fine," Danny replied.

Valerie smiled weakly and turned toward the door. "I'll leave you alone. You probably want to get some more sleep."

"Yeah," Danny lied. But the truth was Danny never wanted to sleep again. He knew that dream would come back. No doubt about that. Sleep wasn't nearly that important to Danny. He could live without it. As long as he never had that dream again, he would be ok.


	6. All's Fair in Love and War

**AN: Hey everyone! Thanks to everyone who has given a review! I would really appreciate it if everyone who read this gave a review! It would be really helpful! Oh, and I also wanted to say something about this chapter. To all you Relient K fans out there, read carefully and there's a little snip-it from "Who I Am Hates Who I've Been". I was writing it and it just fit so well! I had to put it in there. Oh! And thanks to Centaurgurl08 for reminding me what color Valerie's eyes were! Anyway, here's Chapter Five!**

**Chapter Five**

For the rest of the night, Danny didn't sleep. Just like he said he wouldn't. He kept himself busy numerous ways: listening to his headphones softly, flipping through the pages of some of his old comic books. He couldn't do anything disruptive, since Valerie and her dad were in the house and, no doubt, asleep.

After a while, though, all that he tried to do to distract himself from his thoughts stopped working. Pretty soon, he just started pacing. Pacing back and forth across his room. Despite being tedious, it distracted him. All he was focusing on was the floor as it moved back and forth below him. He heard the reverberating footsteps synching up to the beating of his heart. And with every step, he seemed to get more and more lost in the emptiness of his head.

Before Danny knew it, it was six in the morning. He had just stopped briefly to check the time and realized how long it had actually been. He assumed he started his pacing at about midnight. Six hours. He'd been pacing for six hours. Danny didn't think he had been on his feet that long ever in his life. Amazing what a turn of events would do to a kid.

But in spite of the fact that he knew he should quit, Danny kept going. He paced even more. For two more hours, dismissing even the smallest thought from his mind.

Danny was interrupted by a small metallic clang that came from his desk. _What the…?_ He thought. But when he looked over his desk top, he knew where the noise came from.

The Fenton Thermos was sitting over to the side, standing straight up. Its sliver and green paneling gleaming from the light of the morning sun that was coming through Danny's window. Danny was actually a bit unsure that the sound had come from the Thermos at all. But it suddenly shook slightly and clanged again. _No way,_ he thought. His future-self was trying to escape from the confides of the container. _Well, isn't that just perfect?_ He thought. Not only did he have to deal with all the emotional problems he had, but he had to deal with _him_ again.

_Or not…_Danny thought. The Fenton Thermos had stopped shaking and it was silent as the grave. Clearly, it had been a false alarm, thank God. Danny didn't know what he would've done if it weren't. _But, just to be safe…_he thought. He grabbed the Thermos in his left hand, then with his right, opened up his desk drawer. Carefully, he slid the Thermos into the drawer, gently so as not to disturb the beast within. He waited a bit to make sure it didn't start to quiver again. Once he was sure, he slowly put the drawer back in place. When he let go, he waited again. Nothing. _Good,_ he thought. He didn't need anything more to deal with.

He glanced at the clock sitting on his nightstand. It was eight in the morning. He guessed he probably should get some breakfast. Valerie would be down in the kitchen, most likely. Talking to Valerie would be way better than pacing for another three hours, right? _Maybe any other day,_ Danny thought. Today, he wasn't so sure. But Danny knew there was a difference between what he wanted to do and what he should do. And, unfortunately for him, what he should do always seemed to win.

As he left the room, he glanced back at his desk. Was that drawer really going to keep his evil-self contained? Of course not. But what else could Danny do? The Fenton Thermos was supposed to be impenetrable. There was nothing else he could do. Or think of anyway.

_I'll figure it out later_, he told himself, with one last nervous look at his desk. _There's nothing to worry about yet, right?_

"Hey, I was just going to come get you," Valerie said, as Danny entered the kitchen. She was sitting at the table, dressed and ready to go for the day. Too bad she had to mope around with him all day. Danny really felt bad for her. Even school was better than being in his company today.

"Yeah, I wasn't asleep or anything. I just didn't think of coming down until now," he said, sitting across from her. "You had breakfast yet?"

Valerie nodded. "Hope you don't mind," she said.

"Nah, it's fine," Danny said. "You and your dad can make yourselves at home. I don't mind."

She nodded. At that moment, Danny began wondering what it would be like if this were just a normal day. He and Valerie would be at school right now, possibly having had a confrontation as Danny Phantom and Amity Park's number one ghost huntress just minutes before. They would both stumble through the day, as usual. He, Sam, and Tucker would talk about video games or the current predicament that Danny had gotten himself into somehow. And Valerie and her friend Star would talk about…. whatever it was that they talked about. But neither of them would be sitting here right now, not knowing what was going to happen.

"So, you had a rough night last night, huh?" Valerie asked.

Danny looked at her. _What does she mean by that?_ he wondered. Did she hear him pacing last night. He didn't think his footsteps were that loud. Could they have really woken up Valerie in the middle of the night? "Uh…. I… don't….uh…." he stammered, not knowing how to answer.

"I heard you last night," she said.

"Oh, well, I couldn't really sleep so I just started pacing, I guess," Danny explained, setting his elbows on the table.

"Well, I heard that, too," Valerie said. "But I also heard the…. other stuff."

Danny cocked an eyebrow. "What other stuff?" he asked.

"You were…" she hesitated. "Talking to yourself."

"I was?" Danny wondered aloud.

"Yeah," Valerie said. "For a while, actually."

"Wow," Danny said. All that time he had thought that he was just pacing, but no. He was _talking to himself._ _Yeah, way to look like a nutcase,_ he thought. How could he have not known? Maybe he had emptied his mind a little too much. It was a one-time thing, right? A few comments slipped out of his mouth subconsciously. So what? "Well, what was I saying?"

"I couldn't really tell. You were doing it quietly," Valerie told him. "But it went on for a while."

"Oh," he said. So much for a few comments. By what Valerie was saying, Danny had had an entire conversation with himself without even knowing it. _Man, that sounds so neurotic,_ Danny thought.

"It's ok, Danny," Valerie said. "I don't blame you."

Danny nodded and then chuckled as a random thought came to mind.

"What's so funny?" Valerie asked.

"Ok, I'm thinking about all the things that are messed up in my life, and then I just, out of the blue, think 'Hey, I really want to play cards right now.'" Danny told her, still smiling.

Valerie smiled and laughed a little too. "That's pretty random," she said.

"Yeah, I know," Danny said, blushing slightly. Why, he didn't know. He rarely ever blushed. Unless he was majorly embarrassed. Or if he were around Sam. Looking back on it all, he noticed that most of his blushing was done around Sam. He didn't like her more than a friend or anything….. or did he? His face always did get a little hot every time he thought about a couple of girls. Paullina, the most beautiful girl in school, was one of them. And the only other one he could think of was Sam. So, did he like Sam?

Well, what did it matter now?

But Valerie, Danny had noticed, was quickly becoming one of those girls. The thought of her curly, raven hair and emerald green eyes made his face go hot. But he was a bit disappointed that these feelings had only surfaced because of the current situation.

"Hey, why don't you find a deck and we'll play?" Valerie said.

"Really?" Danny asked.

She nodded.

"Uh…." He stammered. "Ok, if you want."

"Sure thing. Deal me in!" she said.

With a smile, Danny walked over to one of the counter drawer and pulled out an old pack of playing cards. "I don't remember the last time I broke these things out," he said, going back to the table and sitting back in his seat. "What do you want to play?"

It was Valerie's turn to blush now. "To be honest," she said. "I don't know many card games."

"Uh, ok," Danny said. "You know how to play War?"

"Fortunately, yes," she answered.

"We'll do that, then," he said.

"Alright," she agreed.

Danny split the deck in half. He slid one half to Valerie and kept the second half in his left hand. "Ready?" he asked, prepping to flip the first card down.

"You bet," Valerie said.

They flipped. Danny had ten of diamonds. Valerie had queen of spades. She took the two cards and put them in a pile to the side. "You're already losing," she said with a grin. She said it in the same voice she spoke to Danny Phantom with, only more playful. Danny knew she was just fooling around but he still couldn't help think that any moment she'd pull out one of her ecto-guns and start shooting.

Thankfully, though, all she did was flip down another card onto the table. This time, Danny beat Valerie's five of hearts with his king of spades. "Now we're even," he said, setting the two cards aside.

They went at this for while longer. Flip after flip after flip. Valerie broke the funk, however. "You look worried," Valerie said.

Danny pulled another two cards to him. "Worried? Why would I be worried? Nothing else could possibly happen to me," he lied.

"That's what I thought," Valerie said. "But, still. That's how you look."

As Valerie swiped another couple of cards toward her, Danny said, "I'm not. Not really."

"Not really?" Valerie wondered. "That doesn't sound too reassuring."

"Well, you know, I'm worried about where I'm going to go. You know? To live," he stated.

"Yeah, I'd be worried about that too," she said. "But I'm sure your parents sent you somewhere nice. With someone nice."

_Yeah, right,_ Danny thought. _Vlad? Nice? In my dreams!_ "Yeah, I hope they did," he said out loud.

They continued flipping for a few more moments and then Valerie said, "You should get some sleep tonight, Danny. You look exhausted."

"Yeah, yeah. I will. Don't…" Danny paused. Valerie knew what he was going to say next. "….worry," he finished.

Valerie looked at him with those piercing green eyes. "Danny, we're human," she said. "And as humans, we can't help but worry sometimes. You're worried. I'm worried. We're all worried about something or another. Why is it so bad?"

Danny didn't answer. Why was it? It wasn't like he was the only one who worried about something. Why did all his worries and problems have to be kept secret? Why couldn't he tell Valerie what would happen if he went to stay with Vlad? Why couldn't he tell her that she and the rest of the world would be in danger if he went there? Why couldn't he at least tell her who he really was?

He didn't have the answer.

He didn't have any of the answers.

"War," Valerie said, breaking Danny's train of thought.

Danny looked down at the table. Apparently, he had subconsciously flipped another card down. His was the king of hearts. Hers, the king of diamonds. _Mom and dad, _he thought.

Both of them laid another card down, face down. _Jazz and Lancer,_ he thought again.

They laid down another face down. _Sam and Tucker,_ he thought.

"Alright," Valerie said, building the suspense. "One…. Two….. go!"

They flipped their cards down at the same time. Valerie's, the ace of hearts. Danny's…. the two of clubs.

_Me and…me,_ he thought.


	7. The Fenton Ghost Files

**AN: Ok, now people. What have I been telling you since I started writing this story? crickets that I need reviews, right? pause RIGHT! pause again Well, I haven't been getting a lot of reviews. And I NEED feedback! I have this thing where I need people to tell me what I'm doing wrong, so I actually know what I'm doing wrong. So if you guys are afraid to review because you think it's horrendous and you don't want to hurt my feelings, I DON'T CARE! FLAMES ARE WELCOME! TELL ME HOW TO MAKE THIS STORY BETTER! Sorry. Just needed to say that. Thanks to all who did review. Ok! Here's Chapter Six!**

**Chapter Six**

The rest of the day was nothing special. Danny and Valerie basically did nothing all day. A few movies here and there. A couple more games of War, although none quite as coincidental as the first game. But nothing too exciting.

The pair did have quite a few conversations. Just little things about themselves here and there. But the things they heard were things they would have never expected out of one another. Danny came to find out much that he didn't know about Valerie. She was a ninth-degree black belt. Before she came to Amity Park, she lived in Brooklyn. Her mom died when she was only three. So much that he wouldn't have known if this hadn't happened.

He gave himself a mental slap. _Don't start thinking this whole thing is a good thing,_ he commanded himself. _It's not. You know that._

Valerie's dad still wasn't home when Danny and Valerie decided to turn in for the night. Valerie was only allowed to miss one day of school, so she had to get up early tomorrow. Danny wasn't planning on going to sleep again. The day had taken a considerable toll on him, but he would make it. He had been more exhausted before. He'd live.

Danny got to his room, his thoughts on five hundred different things. The explosion, where he was headed, the relationship between him and Valerie, his evil-self….

The last one became more of a problem when he looked over at his desk. The wooden desk was shaking violently. And it wouldn't stop. Danny started panicking. _He's going to escape, I know it, _he thought. He thrust his hands on the desktop and tried to subside the trembling, but it did no good. Danny opened the drawer and pulled out the quivering Fenton Thermos. It was shaking like a leaf. The vibrations from the container traveled up Danny's arms and made his teeth knock together. _Jeex, he's putting up a fight,_ Danny thought. He always was stubborn, though. It didn't surprise him once he thought about it.

The shaking ceased after a few more seconds. _There's no way I'm going to be able to keep him like this, _Danny thought, setting the Thermos back down on the desk. _He'll escape, eventually._

What he needed was an extra reinforcement. Something to ensure that his evil-self would never get out. But where would he find something stronger than the Fenton Thermos? The Thermos was made with a super-strong titanium alloy with a layer of ecto-resistant materials. Spectral being couldn't find a way out of that thing if they tried. But Danny's evil, older self was not a force to be reckoned with. Underestimating would do him no good. He underestimated the effects of cheating on the CAT, and now look where he was.

What could keep even the strongest spirit contained for the rest of eternity?

_Come on, stupid! _Danny told himself. _Your parents are ghost hunters…or…were ghost hunters. Something they said had to have rubbed off on you. _

But what came to mind wasn't anything his parents had told him. It just hit him. _We've got a whole bunch of ghost files in the lab,_ he remembered. Of course. His parents had taken everything they had ever compiled about ghosts and put them into files. There was bound to be some information about an impenetrable containment device, right?

A ring of white light formed around Danny's waistline. As the ring split in half, going up and down along Danny's body, Danny quickly changed from Fenton to Phantom. His jet black hair became snow white in an instant, his icy blue eyes flashed a brilliant ghostly green, and his wardrobe of red and white t-shirt with torn jeans morphed into a black jumpsuit with white boots and gloves with in the blink of an eye. On his chest was his famous insignia: a white letter D with a P inside it. Sam had made the emblem for him. Good thing, too. If it weren't for her, he'd be flying around with his dad's face on his chest.

Danny went intangible and flew through the floor of his room, through the kitchen floor and down to the lab in the basement. It was darker down in the lab but the glowing light of the open ghost portal gave Danny enough light to see by. Next to the portal were the ghost files. He walked over to the large metal filing cabinets. They were organized alphabetically. A-F in the first cabinet, G-P in the second, and Q-Z in the bottom cabinet.

_Ok,_ Danny thought. _Let's start with "impenetrable containments"._ He opened the second drawer and found the manila tab with the letter "I' on it. He skimmed through all the files: inter-stellar specters, internationally-known ghosts, ideal attack forms. Nothing. _Ok,_ Danny thought again, frustrated already. _How about just "containments"?_ He opened the first drawer and found the "C" tab. Confusion techniques, copy-cat maneuvers, cosmic ecto-radioactivity. Still nothing.

_Mom and dad could never make anything easy, could they?_ Danny asked himself. After cursing himself for thinking ill of his late parents, he crouched down and opened the bottom drawer. He was looking for "R" now, for "reinforcements". He scanned the "R" file. Nothing again. Rampaging, resistance, Reaper's Chest, rattling (chains)…

Wait. Reaper's Chest? What was that? Danny flipped back to that file and read:

**The Reaper's Chest is a mythological treasure chest, said to have once been in possession of the infamous Grim Reaper, who gathered the souls of the departed. Legend has it that the souls collected were kept in the Chest and that not even the most powerful spirit could escape from it. In the great uprising of a powerful spectral being by the name of Pariah Dark, the Grim Reaper was said to have lost the chest to Pariah in a gamble for the thrown to the Ghost Zone. The Chest is supposed to still reside in Pariah's thrown room to this day. The only thing that will open The Chest is the renowned Skeleton Key. See Main Article "Skeleton Key".**

Danny didn't look at the article for the Skeleton Key, however. Because he knew exactly what to do. The Reaper's Chest would keep his future-self contained forever. The article even said that the most powerful ghost can't escape it. Plus, the Chest was in Pariah Dark's thrown room, which Danny knew exactly where it was.

As for the Skeleton Key, it should have still been in the lock to Pariah Dark's sarcophagus after Danny had defeated him last and Vlad had locked the tomb for him with the Key. If it wasn't there….well, he tried not to think about that. He had to stay positive.

_Tomorrow night, I'll go,_ he told himself. He would have gone that night, but since Valerie's dad wasn't home yet, he didn't want to leave only to have Mr. Gray check in on Danny's room to find him gone. There would be even more chaos than there already was. Tomorrow night, though, he'd say he was going for a walk and then head out into the Ghost Zone.

Until then, he would just have to keep a sharp eye on the Thermos. A very sharp eye._  
_


	8. In the Mirror

**AN: Ok, guys. Listen up. I would really appreciate it if you guys would review if you read this. I really need feedback. And if all you have to say is criticism, that's fine! I just want reviews! Thanks once again to all that did. But if you absolutely hate it, TELL ME! LET ME KNOW IF I SUCK! That's the only reason I can think of that I'm not getting reviews. So, just quick write me one if you read this. Thanks again! Little note about this chapter. Remember how Valerie over heard Danny talking to himself the night before? Well, tonight, Danny's going to…..NO! I can not reveal the contents of this story! Not yet! Lol. That was my dramatic moment of the day (Freakshow would be proud!) Alright, cue opening music! Here's Chapter Seven!**

**Chapter Seven**

Danny phased back through the ceiling and up to his room. Once tangible, the glowing white ring formed around his waist again, and he was Danny Fenton once more in a heartbeat. The Thermos was still sitting on the desk, but silent as the grave. _And it had better stay that way,_ Danny thought.

There came a knock on the door of his room. "Danny? You in there?" Valerie's dad's voice asked.

"Uh… yeah. I am," Danny stammered.

Mr. Gray opened the door and walked in. "Hi," he said with as much cheeriness as he could muster. "How did things go today?"

"Good," Danny replied. "They went good."

"Nothing…happen that was exciting?" Mr. Gray asked, eyebrow cocked.

"Uh…" Danny paused. Of course, Mr. Gray was hinting that he suspected something could have happened between him and Valerie. Nothing did, though. They only talked. Nothing else. Besides, Danny didn't like Valerie like that.

It would at least take one more day for him to like her like that. A day and a half, tops. Danny had to admit: he was falling for her and fast. Just a couple of days with her living at his house and he could hardly stand it. He didn't even like Sam that quickly. He and Sam had been best friends since second grade and it was only in the past few months that he started to realize how much he liked her.

He and Valerie just…connected. Simple as that.

"Uh… nope. Nothing special," Danny answered. "We just watched some movies and stuff."

"Oh," Mr. Gray nodded. "Just wondering."

Danny nodded, too.

"Well," Mr. Gray continued. "I just wanted to let you know that the funeral is on Wednesday."

"Funeral?" Danny repeated. "Aw, man. I completely forgot-."

"Don't worry about it," Mr. Gray said. "Sam and Tucker's parents have taken care of everything. All we need you to do is to find your parents will. By tomorrow, if you can."

"Their will," Danny said, tonelessly. "Right."

"You'll have all day to do it. If you can't find it by the end of the day, Valerie and I will help you out," Mr. Gray assured him.

Danny nodded. "Alright," he agreed, even though, deep down, he wished he didn't have to.

"Well," the large man turned to the door. "Good night, Danny."

Danny hesitated, but right before Valerie's dad closed the door behind him, he yelled, "Mr. Gray?"

Valerie's dad stopped. "Yes?" he asked, kindly.

"Thanks," Danny said, gratefully. "Thanks for everything."

Mr. Gray gave him a smile. "Don't mention it. You and your family would have done the same for Valerie, had she been in your position," he said.

Danny gave a faint nod. "Yeah," he murmured.

"Well, good night," Mr. Gray said again. This time, he walked out without Danny keeping him from closing the door

_Great, _Danny thought. _I can't wait for tomorrow!_ Danny knew where the will was, but he wasn't going to find it tomorrow. He couldn't. Not if he wanted to prevent the future. If he didn't find the will, maybe he wouldn't have to lock the Thermos in the Reaper's Chest after all. Maybe his evil self would just disappear if Danny put on that he had no clue where his parents' last wishes were hidden. _Yeah,_ Danny thought, with a small ray of hope. _Maybe._

"_You really are stupid aren't you?_" the voice of a teenager snarled.

Danny looked around his empty room. It was dark since he hadn't turned the lights on, but Danny's ghost powers had given him enhanced vision. He could see no one, and his ghost sense wasn't going off either. But he knew someone was there.

Someone other than him.

"Who said that?" Danny asked. He kept looking around. His feet began to move backward beyond his control.

"_Who do you think?_" the voice came again. It was a cold, sinister voice that made Danny want to convulse.

Danny narrowed his eyebrows. "I'm warning you. Whoever you are, you're messing with the wrong guy at the wrong time," he warned.

In the blackness of his room, there came a cackle. "_You wouldn't hurt me. There's no way. You're not that desperate…yet,_" the voice said with amusement in his words.

"Where are you?" Danny asked, still inching backwards slowly.

"_Follow the cold shiver running down your spine,_" the voice commanded.

Danny's back came in contact with something and he whipped around so fast, the next thing he saw shocked him. It was his reflection on the mirror of his dresser. The skinny, raven-haired boy stared back at him through blue eyes for a while. _It's only me,_ he thought.

But a smile grew across the boy's face. Danny didn't feel himself doing it, though. It still felt like he was in a blank stare. The face in front of him, however, was curling his lips into a menacing grin and furrowing his eyebrows.

The laugh came again. And this time, Danny knew who it was coming from.

Him.

"_Surprise, surprise,_" his reflection said. "_Everywhere you look, there's another surprise, isn't there, Danny?_"

"How…what….why…?" None of the questions seemed to be the one he was looking for.

"_Just like a teenager, aren't you?_" his reflection asked. "_Think you know everything but when the time comes to answer your own stupid questions, you haven't the slightest,_" He chuckled. "_How pitiful?_"

"I don't understand," Danny said.

"_Let's just say, I'm your other half. The one that doesn't get to make all the decisions. The ghost half,_" his reflection explained.

"You're…" Danny breathed in astonishment. "You're my ghost half?"

"_Give the man a prize!_" his other half exclaimed, with another grin. "_You may not have figured it out for yourself, but hey! You figured it out._"

"You have a mind of your own?" Danny asked.

"_I didn't used to, but you know what we say. Strange how a massive fireball of highly combustible condiments can ruin your whole future,_" his ghost half said, venom dripping from every word.

"This…this whole thing…You…" Danny couldn't think straight.

"_Not me. You,_" his reflection said, stone-faced. "_You're the one who can't accept the fact that it's over. You back up all of your bad thoughts of the matter onto me. And, let's just say, I've taken a beating. A hard one._"

"I don't…I don't…" Danny stammered. He didn't know what to say. Everything had hit him in the face so fast, his mind was on a ten second delay. "I don't get…"

"_The only thing you don't get is what's right under your nose,_" his other half snapped. "_You keep telling yourself that you're not going to become the monster jammed inside that thermos. But you're only kidding yourself. It's inevitable. And you know it, too. You're just too stubborn to admit defeat._"

"I am not," Danny whispered, putting his head down.

But his head jolted straight back up as his ghost half took over. _"Really? You really aren't too stubborn to admit defeat?_" he asked.

Danny's head fell back down again and his human half remained silent.

His head snapped back up once again, "_If you really aren't, prove it. Admit you're done for. Admit that within a week's time or so, your life will end. It will end just like everyone else's did."_

His head fell again. _He's lying to you,_ Danny told himself. _It's not over._ He raised his head slowly, glaring at his reflection. "Never," he snarled.

His reflection smile at him, apparently pleased. "_What did I tell you? You see, that's the thing about me: I'm you. I know everything you think. You can't keep anything from me. It's not possible."_

"Just leave me alone," Danny told his other half. He turned his back on the mirror.

"_Why?_" his ghost half asked. "_So you can continue leaving everyone, including yourself on the brighter side of reality? The side of reality that you only wish you could live in? Trust me, kid. It's easier to give up._"

Danny swung around quickly and banged his fists on the dresser. "I'm _not_ giving up," he snapped at his reflection. "No way."

"_Such a hero, you are. They all say they won't give up, Danny. But the truth is, this is the real world. Superman doesn't exist. There is no person who will never give up. They all cave at one point. It just depends on which one."_ His ghost half stopped. He paused a moment but then continued. "_You always over estimate yourself, Danny. You thought you could get away with cheating on that test without paying the price, and you didn't. You thought that you could save you're loved ones from that explosion, but you couldn't. And now you think that you can prevent yourself from turning into that?_" The reflection's hand pointed to the Fenton Thermos on the desk. "_Your life is following a grim pattern, Danny. Might as well not fight it._"

"I won't…" Danny struggled to throw the words out. He felt dizzy and weak.

"_You're going to be your worst enemy, Danny Fenton. Whether you want to…or not._"

"NO!" Danny yelled, slamming his fists down again. "I won't turn into that! EVER! I promised them!"

Danny began to pant heavily and he vision became fuzzy. He felt himself slipping away from all reality. But before he lost consciousness, he heard his ghost half say one last statement.

"_We'll just see if you can keep that promise. We'll see._"


	9. Where There's a Will

**AN: Ok, you all know what I'm going to say first. REVIEWS! NEED THEM! But I bet you don't know what else I'm going to say! Someone suggested to me that I should change the title of this story to attract more readers. This was an interesting suggestion and I took it into consideration. So, if you have a title suggestion, or if you like the title "The Ultimate Consequence", review me and tell me! I'm going to need your guys' help! Thanks! **

**So I bet you didn't expect the last chapter, did you? I decided that in order for Danny to become evil, his ghost half had to get a mind of his own. So, technically, Danny has a split personality. Yeah, all the fangirls are going to be coming at me with knives soon, I know. But it had to be done in order for the story to work! **

**But anyway. Here's Chapter Eight!**

**Chapter Eight**

Danny awoke the next morning on the floor of his room, flat on his back. Opening his eyes slowly to the blinding light coming through his window, his head began to throb. _What the heck?_ he thought. _What happened?_

Then the memories of the night before came flooding back to him. The shocked feeling of seeing his ghost self take control of him with such ease still gripped him. And the worst part was, Danny didn't even try to fight him off. He let his ghost half take control. Just like that. And he hated himself for it.

"Danny?" Danny heard Valerie's voice call his name from behind his door.

"Uh… just a second!" Danny called back frantically. He scrambled to his feet and, reluctantly, took a look in the mirror. He looked like a train wreck. Dark circles were under his eyes and his hair was in disarray. He flattened it out with his hand a bit, but he looked no better. _What am I? A girl?_ Danny asked himself. _Valerie doesn't care what I look like!_ So, turning away from the mirror as quickly as he could, Danny opened the door to see Valerie standing there, ready to head off to school.

"Morning," she said, with a smile.

"Morning," he said back, trying to crack a smile as well, but his face didn't seem to allow him.

"Will you….be ok if I go to school today?" Valerie asked. Her face was full of concern.

"Yeah, no worries," Danny immediately replied. He didn't want Valerie sticking around too much today. He'd have the whole day to work that whole outburst his ghost half had off without having to worry about going into another fit with Valerie around.

_Oh my gosh, what if she heard last night?_ Danny thought suddenly. She had heard the night before, hadn't she? She said she hadn't heard anything more than mumbling, but last night, Danny had been yelling. There was no way she couldn't have heard. _Perfect,_ he thought. _Just when I was starting to impress a girl I liked, I have to freak her out by being a psychopath._

"Are you sure?" Valerie asked again.

"Yep," Danny answered. "No problem."

Valerie sighed. "Alright. If you need anything, just call the school office and I'll…"

"Val, don't worry," Danny said, cutting her off. "I'll be fine."

"I know," she said. There was a pause but she soon said, "Well, I'll be going then. My dad talked to about the funeral, right?"

Danny nodded, not thinking much about his conversation with Mr. Gray, but the conversation he had right after that with himself.

"Ok. Just making sure," Valerie said. "Well, see you after school then?"

"Yep," Danny said, uneasily. "See you… then."

Valerie smiled again and turned to walk down the stairs.

Danny stood at the doorway of his room for a while longer, listening to Valerie's footsteps going down the stair and out the front door. Once he heard the door shut, he retreated back into his room, closing his door behind him.

_If I just stay here the whole day, I'll be fine. I'll tell them I can't find the will. That way, I'll never have to go to Vlad's and I'll never become that…thing,_ Danny told himself. It was a simple plan. Danny liked simple plans. Easy to come up with, easy to carry out.

Why he got up and walked out the door into the hallway, he didn't know. But without thinking, his feet took him there. _Oh no,_ he thought. He realized what was happening as he wandered into his parents' room and crouched down next to the queen sized bed. It was _him_. _He_ was doing this.

Danny tried to fight this time, though. He told himself no. He told his arms not to reach under the bed. And he was winning for a while. He hesitated and relief began to wash over him.

But his ghost half quickly took him again. Danny watched helplessly as his hand reached under the bed and pulled out a large envelope.

"_Sorry, Fenton,_" he heard the menacing voice from the night before say. "_I'm the one who's making the rules in this matter."_

Valerie closed her locker and slung her backpack over her shoulder. It was the end of the day finally. She was in school, but her mind was back at Fenton Works with Danny. Poor, orphaned, lonely Danny. She couldn't stop thinking about him. She had no clue why.

Maybe because her friendship with him was quickly evolving into a crush. A full-blown one, at that. She didn't know what it was about the guy, but Danny was different. He gave off something that most teenage boys didn't. Kindness? Maturity? Respect? It was all of those. She doubted she'd never find another guy like Danny Fenton ever again, even if she searched the entire planet.

Valerie felt even worse for him after last night, though. She heard him talking to himself again, but that night, it was louder. Much louder. She still didn't hear anything but after she listened to a few murmurs, she was taken aback as he yelled, "NO! I won't turn into that! EVER! I promised them!"

After that, everything was quiet, except the tears that fell from Valerie's eyes.

What Danny promised to not turn into, Valerie didn't know. But she assumed that, like the rest of the things that had gone wrong for the boy, it wasn't his fault. _The good are always the ones who have to pay the price for the villainous, aren't they?_ Valerie wondered. Watching the way Danny's mind was deteriorating before her eyes made her rage against the Phantom flare. _I'm going to kill that ghost if it's the last thing I do,_ she told herself.

"I heard Fenton's going nuts," Kwan's voice said.

Valerie's ears perked at the mention of Danny's name. She turned around quickly and saw her once-upon-a-time friends standing at a group of lockers across the hall.

"Rumor is he's talking to himself," Kwan continued.

"Figures," Kwan's friend, Dash said. "He never really was ok in the head to begin with, I always thought."

"He's really talking to himself?" Dash's girlfriend, Paullina asked. "Where'd you hear that?"

"Someone over heard Valerie's dad telling the principal about the whole thing. Word spreads," Kwan explained.

_That it does, _Valerie thought, angrily. And it had spread due to her own father! Danny trusted both of them. Imagine if he found out that the whole school knew about his late-night talks? He would be mortified. No question.

The thought of everyone talking about him behind his back didn't make her any less angry, either. How inconsiderate do you have to be to talk about a kid who's going insane because he lost everyone he loved all in one moment? And the worst part was that none of them seemed to show any sympathy for Danny in the least bit. _Shallow jerks,_ Valerie thought.

"He's not dead, you know," Valerie said from across the hall.

The trio gave her a confused look. They obviously had just noticed she was there. "What?" Dash wondered.

"Danny's not dead," Valerie repeated. "So stop talking about him like he is."

When Valerie walked in the door to Fenton Works, she didn't expect Danny to be sitting in the living room on the couch, hands running through his hair, in a daze. "Hey there," she said.

Danny was silent.

"How were you today?" she asked, trying to get him to talk.

He remained silent.

"Danny?" Valerie said.

Silent.

"Are you alright?" Valerie asked.

Silent.

"What's wrong?" she asked, getting concerned.

He was still silent, but he took a hand off of his head and picked up a large envelope sitting on the coffee table and held it up for her to see.

At first, Valerie had no clue what it was. But then it seemed to click. "Is that the will?" she asked.

Danny set it back down on the table. He nodded solemnly.

"Well, that's good, then. Right?" she said cheerily.

But her smile faded as Danny spoke.

"No, Valerie. It's not."


	10. Secrets

**AN: Hey everyone in cyber space! I haven't updated in a while. And lucky for you all, I'm reeeeeeeeeeeeally hyper right now! Actually, I think that's scarier than Dark Danny! lol! But yeah, I just decided to keep the title of this story the same. I can't think of anything else and no one suggested anything. So that is that, I suppose. But yeah, I didn't get a lot of reviews on the last chapter. Wait, I never get a lot of reviews. lol. But less reviews than usual. So if you read this, REVIEW IT! Thanks! (BTW: August 30 was my sixteenth birthday! YAY!) Ok, here's Chapter Nine!**

**Chapter Nine**

"What you mean?" Valerie asked.

Danny looked at her sadly. He looked even worse than he had the past few days. Like nothing would ever be alright again. Up until now, Valerie thought Danny had been pretty good at staying positive. But now, his face showed no ray of hope. None at all.

He slapped the envelope down on the table. "I know where I'm going," he explained. "And I don't like it."

"You looked?" she asked.

Danny shook his head. "I didn't, but I know who it is," he told her.

"Oh," Valerie said. She sat down next to him on the couch. "That's why you didn't want to find this," she motioned toward the envelope. "Wasn't it?"

Danny nodded, looking at the ground.

"Well," Valerie said, struggling to find what she wanted to say. "Who is it?"

Danny sighed. "You remember Vlad Masters, right?" he asked, still staring at the floor.

"Him?" Valerie wondered. "Well, I don't see the problem. Mr. Masters seems nice."

Danny laughed cynically. "Yeah. 'Seems' being the keyword there," he mumbled.

"He's really that bad?" she asked.

Danny nodded again.

_I would have never guessed,_ Valerie thought. They were talking about Vlad Masters, right? The same man who was best friends with Danny's parents? The same man who owned the company Valerie's father worked for? The same man who had called Valerie one of the best ghost hunters he had ever seen? _We can't be talking about the same person._

"What has he done that's so bad?" Valerie asked.

Danny took his eyes off the ground and looked straight into Valerie's eyes with his. His intense ice-blue eyes. They were filled with fear. She could see his wheels turning. He was contemplating whether or not he should tell her what was going on.

That scared her.

"He didn't hurt you, did he?" she asked, extremely concerned now.

Danny hesitated. "Kind of," he replied.

"Oh my gosh, Danny," Valerie gasped. "How come you never told me? Or anyone, for that matter?"

"Sam and Tucker knew," Danny said.

"What about your parents?" Valerie asked.

"You kidding? They wouldn't have believed me," Danny said, running his fingers back through his jet-black hair. "Besides, Sam and Tucker were the only ones who…understood."

Valerie was a bit puzzled, now. "Understood what?" she asked.

Danny looked at her again. The boy was keeping a secret. Multiple secrets, maybe. Valerie thought that the two had opened up to each other more in the past few days, but now it only seemed like he was keeping more from her.

"It's not just that hurt me," Danny continued, ignoring Valerie's question all together. "He's…" he paused. "He's done some bad stuff. Besides that."

"Do you know for sure?" Valerie asked.

Danny nodded. "I saw him do it a lot of times," he explained.

Valerie sighed. "I guess he's not as nice as I thought," she said, partially to herself and partially to the boy next to her.

"No, he's not," Danny agreed.

Valerie glanced at him. What kind of person would she be if she let Danny go live with that creep? And who knows what would happen if he did? If Vlad had hurt him once, who was to say he wouldn't do it again? Valerie couldn't let that happen. He'd been hurt too much already.

"How…" Valerie began, but she stop, knowing it wasn't her place to ask.

"How… what?" Danny asked.

_He has to be the curious type, doesn't he?_ she thought. "How…" Valerie tried to word it as painlessly as she could. "How did he hurt you?"

Danny sighed. Great. She was bugging him. The last thing she wanted to do was get on his nerves. "Forget I asked. I shouldn't-,"

"No…no," Danny stopped her. "Maybe it's time…"

As he trailed off, Valerie could see he was having a debate inside his head. Whether a literal one with his alleged other personality, or he was just asking himself what to do, she didn't know. But he was thinking. He was thinking about something important.

But after several more seconds of silence, he said, "Maybe it's time you knew."

Valerie was getting more confused now. "Time I knew what?" she asked.

Danny took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I've been keeping something…from everyone…for a while, actually. And that includes you. Since it doesn't matter any more, I'm just going to say it," he said.

Valerie put a hand on the boy's shoulder. "Danny, are you-,"

"No, Val," Danny interrupted her, taking the hand that was on his shoulder in his own hand. Valerie's stomach did somersaults when he didn't let go. "I need to tell you the truth."

Valerie looked into Danny's eyes with the most concentration she had ever given to anything. The pale hand that held hers was shaking like a leaf and it went cold.

"Vlad…." He stopped and squinted his eyes shut. "Vlad…" he stopped again, bringing them back open. Was it just her or did they flash green before returning to blue? "Vlad…I can deal with. No matter how much he's hurt me."

"But-," Valerie began.

Danny cut her off again. "Hey, I've dealt with him this long, haven't I? I'm still alive. I'll be fine. I know his game. He's not the problem…alright?"

Valerie hesitated, but slowly nodded.

"The truth is," he lowered his eyes to their interlocked hands. "I don't want to leave here. Someday, maybe, but not now."

Valerie understood. Danny had grown up in Amity Park. For a brief moment, she put herself in Danny's position. She would hate leaving the town she'd come to know for so long. Especially all the way in…where was it again? Wisconsin? Well, wherever it was, it wasn't local.

"I understand," Valerie said, looking at their hands as well, as Danny looked up from them. "I'd hate to leave the place I call home to go live with someone like Vlad."

"Vlad's really not-,"

"It's alright, Danny," Valerie said. "I know you don't want anyone finding out about what he's done. I won't say a word."

Danny gave a weak smile. "Really?" he asked, hopefully.

Valerie nodded. "I don't think you should keep it from anyone, but if you really don't want anyone finding out, then yes. Your secret's safe with me," she said.

Danny's smile grew. "Thanks, Val," he said, sincerely.

"No problem," she said.

Suddenly, Danny's eyes seemed to flash green again. _Why are my eyes playing tricks on me?_ she asked herself. But she soon forgot about his eyes when she saw what was happening to the rest of him.

As soon as his eye flashed, Danny gasped loudly. As if he had just held his breath for a long moment. He immediately began to sweat. Drops of moisture ran down his face and down his neck. His face became even more pale than usual and he began panting heavily. He fell back into the couch, still breathless and perspiring.

"Danny, are you ok?" Valerie said, concerned about the boy right away. It was definitely not normal for someone to have that happen to them so quickly. There was something wrong with him.

"I'm…" he took another large breath. "I'm fine." He lifted himself off the couch. When he got to his feet, he staggered a bit, but caught himself.

"Danny, you're not fine," Valerie told him. He obviously wasn't thinking straight if he thought he was fine.

He held up a hand. "Really, Valerie," he panted. "I'll be ok. I just…" He bowed his head and shut his eyes tightly. When he opened them, thankfully, they didn't flash again. He still looked as terrible as before, however. "I just need to lie down is all."

Danny made his way over to the staircase. "Ok," Valerie said. "I'll show my dad the will."

Danny was running out of breath to talk with so he just nodded and began to ascend the stairs. Valerie watched as the skinny teenager labored up the flight and finally disappeared into his room. She shouldn't even be worrying about that. Danny seemed sick as a dog. But she was still thinking about Vlad Masters. _How come I was so blind? Why didn't I see him for the person Danny saw him as?_ Valerie asked herself. Although, she really shouldn't have blamed herself. Danny's own parents couldn't see past Vlad's ruse. With all of the information she had just received, however, she should have been satisfied.

But she wasn't.

Because she knew Danny still had more to tell.

She just didn't know what.


	11. AN: Future Plans

**I would like to announce my future plans at this time. Once this is finished (and it is far from finished) I'm going to be making a sequel, called "The Ultimate Aftermath". This is a working title. Basically, since this story focuses on Danny mainly, "The Ultimate Aftermath" is going to focus on Valerie. It's going to be MUCH darker than this one (and this is pretty dark already. Lol.) After that, I'm going to be working on a trilogy where it's the normal timeline, and Sam, Tucker, Jazz, Danny's parents and Lancer are all alive, but it's after "The Ultimate Enemy" (since he uses his Ghostly Wail.) The working titles to the three installments are "The Eyes of the Beholder", "No Going Back", and "With Great Power…" I have no idea when I'll get these things done, but I'm not going to start any of them until I finish this one. **


	12. The Reaper's Chest

**AN: Hello there, everyone! It is I! The mysterious PhantomPhorever16, (who has been extremely evil lately, BTW. Dunno if that's good or not.) is here to bring you yet another chapter of the compelling tale, "The Ultimate Consequence"! Aside from being evil, I have also been rather dramatic, in case you haven't noticed already. I just received word that for my sixteenth birthday present, I'm going to get Nickelback tickets! YAY! Drinks all around! **

**But yes, other than that, the usual. Read this even if you think it sucks, review or I will command metal monsters to eat you using the Reality Gauntlet, yada yada yada. You get the picture. Well! Here's Chapter Ten!**

**Chapter Ten**

Danny collapsed onto his bed and began to shake violently. What had just happened? How did it happen?

Danny was about to spill it all to Valerie. Everything. The fact that he was half ghost. The fact that Vlad was half ghost. And the fact that if their two ghost halves fused, it would spell disaster for the world. Danny knew he had to do it. It was the only way Valerie would understand that he couldn't stay with Vlad.

Well, maybe she'd understand. Or maybe she'd tear him apart. He desperately hoped she didn't, though.

But when the time came to reveal the truth, _he_ took over again. With less ease this time, but he did it, all the same. All Danny could do was listen to his ghost counterpart tell Valerie exactly what he would have told her… a few days ago, at least. His other half told Valerie not to worry about him. That the only reason he didn't want to leave was that he'd be homesick.

How far from the truth was that?

Once Danny regained control, though, he felt sick to his stomach. He had retreated up to his room as quick as he could. The nauseated feeling wouldn't go away even when he lay down on his bed. He felt worse, actually. Danny swore he would puke, but he didn't have the strength to walk to the bathroom.

He closed his eyes and started shaking even harder. He had to tell Valerie the truth. His ghost half couldn't keep lying to her forever. If Danny didn't tell her, she'd find out for herself. That wouldn't be good for anyone. It would be better if Danny just came right out and said it. But it would be a bit difficult to do that with his evil other half butting in all the time.

Danny's stomach continued to churn. He tried just breathing through his nose, but it didn't help much. "_Come on, Fenton,_" he heard him say. "_Suck it up._"

Danny pulled his pillow over his head. _Just ignore him,_ he told himself.

_Just ignore him and he'll go away._

----------------------------------------------------------------------

"Why did you have to tell the principal?" Valerie asked her father angrily.

She had come down on her dad as soon as he had gotten home from work. Danny was still up in his room, sick. She assumed he was asleep, so now was the perfect opportunity to talk to her dad.

Her fury was making it hard to keep herself from yelling, however. She had had it with this whole predicament. She just wanted Danny to go back to the way he was. She wanted her life to go back to the way it was.

"We just got to talking and got on that subject," her father explained. "I didn't mean for anyone else to here."

"You shouldn't have been telling anyone about that in the first place," Valerie said. "All the kids were talking about it at school today. Imagine if Danny were to go back tomorrow. He'd be stared at and whispered about. This whole thing's bad enough without…" She trailed off and sighed.

"I know, and I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said anything," her dad apologized.

"Yeah," Valerie mumbled as she sat down on the living room couch.

"Where is Danny, anyway?" her dad asked, sitting beside her.

"Up in his room," Valerie said. "He wasn't feeling well. I'm guessing he's asleep."

"You didn't tell him they were talking about him, did you?" he asked.

"Of course not!" Valerie said. "Why would I do that?"

Her father shrugged.

Valerie sighed.

"Don't worry, Valerie," her dad said, putting a hand on her back. "In a few days, we'll go back home and everything will go back to normal,"

_No it won't_, Valerie thought. How could things go back to normal? If what Danny said about going with Vlad was true, Danny would move to Wisconsin. She'd probably never see him again. School itself would be different. Dash wouldn't be chasing Danny down the hall, wanting to dunk his head in the toilet. Paullina wouldn't be inviting Danny to some big party, in hopes that the Phantom would show up (which is why Valerie rarely ever went to Paullina's parties.) The biggest thing, though, was that Sam, Tucker, and Danny's table would be empty. And it would be….

Forever.

Things would never be normal.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Danny woke up to a dark room. He bolted up in his bed and looked at his clock. Only midnight. Good. He still had time to put the Fenton Thermos in the Reaper's Chest. And he felt better than he did a few hours ago. Much better. It was either now or never.

Danny jumped out of bed and bounded over to his desk. He opened the top drawer gently and pulled the silver and green thermos out. It wasn't shaking now, thank God. Hopefully, he wouldn't have to deal with that thing ever again after that.

The white ring formed around Danny's waist again and he changed into Danny Phantom. He already knew where he was going. He'd been to Pariah's thrown room before, so he didn't need his map he, Sam and Tucker were making of the Ghost Zone. As soon as he changed to his ghost form, he went intangible and flew down to the lab and without another thought, he flew through the Fenton Ghost Portal.

The Ghost Zone was an eerie place. Green flooded Danny's vision with the occasional purple doors. The doors were portals to other parts of the Ghost Zone. Danny wasn't to keen on opening any of them, though. The last few times he had done that, he'd nearly been dismembered by a vicious shape-shifting toddler and run over by a monster train.

Danny floated around, looking for Pariah's castle. But he saw nothing but doors. _Come on_, he thought. _It has to be here somewhere_. The Thermos began shaking in his hands again. _Oh perfect._

Finally, Pariah's castle came into view. It was a dark figure against the green skyline. Danny would have recognized the fortress anywhere. He landed on the firm plot of land right in front of the medieval building. The large wooden doors were ajar. Fenton Thermos still in hand, Danny flew through the doors.

The castle was dead silent. No pun intended. All Danny could hear were the steps his feet made against the luminous stone floor. The Grand Hall was empty. The high windows reflected the dull green atmosphere from outside into the ballroom before Danny. The last time he was in here, he hardly had time to observe the interior around him. It was pretty cool, in a spooky way. The Throne Room was directly ahead of Danny. The doors were broken down, thanks to him the last time he was here. Danny approached the doorway slowly.

Inside the Throne Room, Danny recognized several things. He had a little bit of a hard time remembering some of them, since he'd been half-conscious the last time he'd been there. But the large tomb that held Pariah Dark was instantly familiar. The ghostly tomb glowed against the dull interior of the rest of the room. Danny flew over to the tomb. On the front was a large lock with a key stuck in it. The Skeleton Key. That was what Danny needed to open and close The Reaper's Chest. Yet, he didn't take it out of the lock right away. What if he took it out and it became unlocked? Pariah Dark would be free again, and Danny had enough on his plate as it was. But what other choice did he have? He took the key's head, which looked like a skull, and began gently edging it out of the lock. Once the sickly green key was out of the lock, Danny held his breath. But the tomb made no sign it was unlocked. Just to be safe, however, he grabbed a hold on the edge of the lid and yanked. It didn't budge. _Good_, Danny thought. Now he could focus on the task at hand.

Danny scanned the room but besides the tomb, there was really nothing else. There was the pumpkin at the far end of the room that once held the Fright Knight, but he was long since freed and was God only knew where. Other than that, the room was empty. _The file said that the Chest was in the Throne Room. Where could it have gone?_ He wondered.

"Looking for something?"

Danny whipped around to the door of the room. Standing in the entrance was a ghost Danny was all too familiar with. Desiree, the Wishing Ghost. Danny would recognize her anywhere. Her pale green skin, glaring red eyes, and glinting smile were all too identifiable. Danny had had a couple run-in's with her before, none of them ending where Danny could trust her. She could make any wish made to her advantage and the wisher's disadvantage. Every move she made caused Danny problems, so it was no wonder why Danny glared at the ghost in distaste.

"What are you doing here?" he snarled, making it clear he wasn't in the mood for another spat with her.

"I saw you enter here," Desiree explained, drawing nearer to the boy. "So, I merely decided to pay you a friendly visit."

Danny scoffed. "Friendly. Yeah right," he muttered sarcastically.

"Truly!" Desiree said. "I come to you with nothing but empathy….and…..sympathy."

Danny cocked an eyebrow. "Sympathy?" he wondered.

The Wishing Ghost nodded. "Many have been speaking of your current…. Predicament," Desiree told him, looking remorseful.

"Really?" Danny asked. "How would they know about that?"

"We ghosts know more than you think about the Land of the Living than you think we do, Daniel," Desiree explained. "Word spreads quickly, even here."

Danny nodded. He could understand that. From many of the experiences he'd had in that realm, Danny was able to conclude that the Ghost Zone was a lot like high school. A whole big group who hated him, a select few who were friends with him. Why would gossip be any different?

"What brings you to this place?" Desiree asked him after he didn't respond any further.

Danny looked down at the Thermos and held if up for Desiree to see. "I have to find The Reaper's Chest, so I can lock this away…for good," he told her.

Desiree looked inquisitively at him. "What is in there?" She asked.

"Something terrible, believe me," Danny said. "So I need that chest. I need to lock it away forever so that something won't be able to cause any more destruction…and not just the physical kind, either."

Desiree still looked slightly confused but didn't pursue the issue any further. "I could get the Chest for you, you know," she told him.

Danny looked at her cautiously. _No,_ he thought. _She'll twist your words. Something bad will happen. Don't do it._

"All you'd have to do is make the wish and it will be right in front of you in the blink of an eye," Desiree said, no hint of a dastardly deed in the works upon her voice.

Danny hesitated. "How…how can I trust you?" he asked her.

Desiree looked at him, mournfully. "You will have to go on my word, I'm afraid. I have no way to prove to you that I mean what I say. But I _can_ tell you that I will not deceive you while you are already in pain. I promise you that."

Danny examined the ghost's face. Every line, every feature was true to her word. No evil smirk, no flash of a grin. Only a face filled with understanding and compassion. Despite all that had happened between the pair before, Danny knew Desiree was serious. She wouldn't try anything…at least, he hoped she didn't.

"I wish I had The Reaper's Chest," he wished, softly.

Desiree's expression didn't waver as she waved her hand and said, "So you have wished it….so shall it be."

There was a swirl of green mist and the object of Danny's desire appeared before his eyes. The Reaper's Chest floating in midair before him was a black, foot-long, treasure chest. On the lid, was a raised figure of a skeleton's hand that was so realistic looking, Danny was afraid it would jump off the Chest and grab a hold on his throat. The golden lock gleamed off of the two ghost's ectoplasmic glow. This was it. And no tricks. So far, Desiree had been true to her word.

Without another word, Danny took the key he held and jammed it into the golden lock. When he turned it, it gave the strangest sound: a weird grinding noise. Danny thought he may have been doing something wrong, but he was reassured when the lid creaked open on its own. Danny took his hand off the key handle and raised the lid up farther. The inside was pitch black. So black, in fact, that not even the ghostly glow from both Desiree and Danny could penetrate its darkness. Danny took the Thermos, put it on its side and gently lowered it into the Chest. The Thermos quickly disappeared into the blackness of the Chest. As soon as it did, Danny rapidly closed the lid and turned the Key back, taking it out of the lock and gripping it tightly in his fist.

He let out his held breath. One problem solved.

Danny stood there looking at the locked chest for some time. But he finally looked up at his aide, who had watched the whole thing. "Thank you," he said gratefully.

Desiree's remorseful expression still remained. "You are welcome," she said.

Danny gave a quick nod toward The Wishing Ghost. And then without another word, walked around her and out the door of the Throne Room.

The entire way back, Danny couldn't help feeling that a magnificent burden had been lifted off of his shoulders. And it had. His evil, older self was locked away for good. Unless someone found the Key, he had nothing to worry about.

But what if the future that Danny had seen really did come true? He would have the Key and then open the Chest.

_Problem number eight thousand,_ Danny muttered.

He would worry about that later, he concluded as he got back to him room at Fenton Works and changed back to his human form. Right now, all he needed was some sleep. He would risk having the nightmare again. If it meant he didn't have to live through another outbreak from his ghost half, he would do it.

_At least one obstacle is out of my way,_ Danny thought as he crawled into bed, not bothering to change out of his clothes. _The only question is…_

_How will I get rid of the other ones?_


	13. And In the End?

**AN: Heeeeeeey everyone! How is it going? I didn't get any reviews last chapter. How sad is that? (No one answers) It's very sad! VERY! So if you read this, REVIEW IT!!!!!!!!! It could be one word for all I care! You know? "Good" or "Bad" or "Sucky" or something!!!!!!!!!!!! ANYTHING!!!!!!!!!!! I'M BEGGING YOU ALL!!!!!!!!! I'M GETTING DOWN ON MY HANDS AND KNEES, PLEADING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! As you can see, I'm getting rather pathetic here. So if you're sickened by the sight of my pathetic nature, WRITE ME A REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! **

**Well, in the past few days, I've been thinking through things again. I know, I know. Bad girl! Bad! (Slaps herself) But I really think they are good changes that I'm making. I haven't thrown out any of my original ideas, but I've added a couple of things. Like a whole other minor character (based off of one of my friends, but no one tell her! Lol. You probably don't even know her so why am I even saying anything?) But yeah, things are going nicely. I pretty much have everything figured out now.**

**Well, here's Chapter…….uh……hold on. I forgot what chapter this is! Lol. (Surfs over to her other documents) Ok!!!!!!!! It's Chapter Eleven!!!!!!!!!!!!! So here's Chapter Eleven!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**

**Disclaimer: The song I used in this chapter is called, "In the End" by Drake Bell. It's the song I play over and over again when I'm depressed. It really helps! Listen to it!**

**Chapter Eleven**

"You ok?" Valerie asked.

How was Danny supposed to answer that? True, he had gotten rid of one problem, but here he still was, driving to a church for funerals for, virtually, everyone he knew. And the only reason he was doing that was because of him and his stupid mistakes.

Of course he was ok. Why wouldn't he be?

Danny knew Valerie wasn't clueless, though. She was asking because she knew something was wrong….well, more wrong than usual. But he couldn't tell her. His ghost half would grab a hold onto him again. He couldn't have that happen. Not now, at least.

"I'm fine," he answered, trying to smile but the edges of his mouth only twitched a bit.

Valerie couldn't even attempt to crack a grin. Not with the circumstances being what they were. Danny was in for an emotional nightmare today, she knew it. And she hated that. The kid had already gone through enough and now let's slaps a funeral on top of it. _Why does everything have to happen to him?_ She wondered.

Danny looked out the window of Mr. Gray's car, solemnly. He wondered what Sam and Tucker would be doing to lift his spirits if they were alive right now. He tried to think of how that conversation would go, but he couldn't. It seemed that his imagination had turned off lately. And just when he needed it, too. He wanted more than anything to hear his friend's voices, even if it was only in his head. He'd never been so long without hearing his friends.

Or his family, for that matter. Danny had never gone to his parents for help, mainly because all of his problems had been ghost related for the past year or so. Jazz knew about his secret, but he had only found out about that recently. Now that he thought about it, she had been helping him a lot. If he could have her back, he swore he'd never take her help for granted again.

_Maybe I should have told my parents,_ he thought as the car turned a corner. He had always kept the fact that he was half ghost from them, for fear they wouldn't accept him. Right before the explosion, they had found out, but he never got to find out what they thought about it. But of course they would accept him. He was stupid to think otherwise, he saw that now. They were his parents, for crying out loud! What did he think they would do? Throw him out of the house? Of course not! Why didn't he tell them? Why did he wait until it was too late?

Danny looked at Valerie. He was doing the same thing he did with his parents: waiting until the ground fell out from underneath his feet to tell her the truth. Look where that had gotten him so far. Nowhere. Well, at least somewhere he didn't want to be. He had to tell her.

But his other half wouldn't let him. He'd tried already. _No, _Danny thought. _I have to try harder. I have to fight him. If I don't, I'm going to let everyone down. I promised them all I wouldn't turn into that…that thing. I can't go back on my word._

Danny made up his mind: he'd tell her and soon. Not now, since her dad was right there in the driver's seat, listening to every word they were saying. But in private, when they got back to Fenton Works, in his room. He'd explain everything. And if his other half tried to step in…he'd fight. He'd fight harder than he'd ever fought before. And he'd win. He had promised them he would.

"Here we are," Mr. Gray said.

Danny focused back on the outside world again. The car had parked outside of a tall church. Danny had been to church a fair share of times in his life, but never had it looked so gloomy and depressing. He didn't want to leave the car. If he did, something would happen that Danny didn't want to happen. Maybe nothing major, but something. And that was enough to keep him rooted in his seat while Valerie and Mr. Gray both got out of the car.

Valerie noticed Danny wasn't moving and walked around to his side of the car. Looking in the window, his eyes were full of sadness as he stared intently at the church. _He doesn't want to go,_ Valerie thought. _I don't blame him._ She took her knuckle and gently tapped on the glass. His eyes snapped immediately off the building and on her.

She opened the door, but Danny made no move. "Aren't you coming?" she asked.

Of course, he didn't want to go. Who would? He thought about just staying there. What could they do? Drag him in? He had super powers! He could take anyone who dared touch him. But Danny didn't think anyone would physically drag him out of the car.

No matter how much he wanted to stay in that car, however, Danny knew he couldn't. This was his family, his friends. He couldn't just stay here. That just wouldn't be right.

"Yeah," he said quietly as he stepped his foot onto the cement of the church parking lot, out of the safety of Mr. Gray's car.

As he got out, Valerie gave him a quick look over. From a distance, he would have looked fairly handsome that day: his black suit matched well with his black hair and baby blue eyes. But his face was paler than ever, except for the dark circles under his eyes. He looked worse than Valerie had ever seen him. It broke her heart.

Impulsively and without any thought, Valerie grabbed his hand. Not only did Danny jump, but Valerie's stomach gave a flip, as well. Despite the surprise, though, Valerie didn't let go…and Danny gripped her hand in his. "It's going to be ok," she told him. "I promise."

He looked at her with doubt. "Don't promise," he said. "Promises can be broken."

"Mine can't," she reassured him.

Valerie began to realize how awkward it was for the two of them to be standing in the middle of a church parking lot, holding hands. Especially since she could feel her father's eyes boring into the back of her head. She cleared her throat and non-chalantly brought the hand that was holding Danny's up to the back of her neck. Danny's face fell a bit as she did so, but he seemed to understand the weirdness of the scene. "We should go in," Valerie said.

He nodded. "Yeah," he said. "We should."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"What was that about?"

Inside the church, there were people. Lots and lots of people. But it was silent as the grave. Valerie felt like she was shouting even when she was speaking as softly as she could.

"I couldn't help myself," she explained, in a whisper to her father, who seemed quite upset about Valerie and Danny holding hands in the parking lot. "He looked so…miserable. I felt I had to do something and before I could do anything else, I had his hand."

"Valerie, that wasn't the time-," her father started to say.

"I know," Valerie interrupted. "And I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking. It won't happen again, I swear." There was a small pause and then Valerie said, "Maybe I shouldn't swear in a church."

"Valerie," her dad said in a warning tone.

"Sorry," she apologized. At that moment, she realized something. "Where's Danny?" she asked, looking around the Congregation Hall.

Valerie spotted him standing at the far end of the room…as far away from the caskets and the other people as possible. She walked over to him. He had a sort of longing look upon his face, like he wanted to merge into the crowd, but for some reason, couldn't. "You ok?" she asked him, resisting the heavy urge to hold his hand again.

He didn't look at her. He was too focused on something else: two other people at the end of the room.

Sam's parents.

Danny had barely recognized them when he walked in. Usually, Mr. and Mrs. Manson were a peppy couple, brightly clad and smiling. But today, there they were: draped in black from head to toe, and looks on their faces just about as hopeless as his. _If Sam could only be here to see this…_he kept thinking. _She'd be laughing. I know it. Her parents look so Goth._

Ever since Danny and Sam had become friends back in the second grade, Mr. and Mrs. Manson had always abhorred Danny, telling Sam he was a strange boy and a bad influence. Those thoughts had only strengthened since he'd acquired ghost powers as the beginning of the school year. Despite how much they despised him, though, he wanted more than anything to walk over to them and tell them they were right about him. That Sam shouldn't have hung around with him all these years. It was his fault she and all the others were dead, and he didn't' want to keep that from anyone else. He had enough secrets as it were.

But he knew doing that would only cause problems. Everything he did caused problems. And there was nothing he could do about that except stand at the other edge of the room, silent.

"Danny?" Valerie said. "Are you ok?"

He looked at her this time. She couldn't tell what he was thinking. She could guess but it wouldn't be correct. And Danny was glad she couldn't. Not yet, anyway. Not here. "I guess," he replied.

Without warning, a feeling wiped over Danny like a bucket of cold water: he didn't to be there. He didn't want to face everyone or talk to anyone. He just wanted to be alone, isolated from the world.

"Valerie, I'm going to go to the bathroom a minute," Danny told her, already turning toward the corridor out of the Hall.

"But, the service-," she began.

"I just need to be alone for a little bit," he said, hoping Valerie would understand where he was coming from.

She did. She hesitated but she finally sighed and nodded. "Ok," she said.

Danny took off down the hall without another word. Not even a nod of appreciation. He ran straight to the bathroom, shot into the nearest empty stall and locked himself in. As he slid down the side panel of the stall, he listened to the room around him. No one was there, unless someone was being as silent as he was. Silent as sleep.

_Wake up,_

_It's time to get your things together,_

_And drive away._

The whole thing was just too complicated for him to handle all at once. Why did he have to be here? He'd heard enough "I'm sorry's" from Valerie and her dad alone. Now he had to hear it from the rest of the world? He sighed heavily, pulling his knees toward his chest and setting his forehead on them.

_Breathe out._

_Feel today will treat you better._

_That's what they say._

The only reason he'd gone to this was because he didn't want to tell Valerie and Mr. Gray he didn't want to go. But why bother any more? If things kept going downhill like this, manners would hardly be important any more. He'd just keep stumbling through each day, until he was killed. And he would be killed. If Vlad and Danny's ghost half didn't do it, something else would.

But that was only if he could prevent that future. He promised he would but how likely was that to happen?

_Another day,_

_Gone without a sound._

_But it's ok,_

_If you turn around._

And that's when everything hit him in one huge wave of realization.

His parents were gone.

His sister was gone.

His friends were gone.

He was gone.

And it was all his fault.

Even if he did prevent the future, he'd lost.

Miserably.

It was over.

He was alone.

He was dead.

_And feel the memories,_

_Bringing you down._

Only seconds of struggling to keep them in passed before the tears started pouring from his eyes. He kept telling himself not to give in, to be strong. It wasn't over. Not yet. But who was he fooling? He knew he'd lost. There was no denying.

_And in the end,_

_Are you stronger?_

Pretty soon, he wasn't just crying. He was sobbing. He felt so stupid for doing it but he couldn't stop. He tried his hardest but he couldn't. _"What a wimp…"_ he heard the voice in his head say.

But he didn't pay attention to his other half. He could only think about how badly he'd let them down. How badly he'd let everyone down.

_Do you no longer,_

_Need to recover?_

He'd only been kidding himself, thinking he could stop any of this. How naïve? How idiotic? He was just leading himself down a long winding path to disaster.

_Where have you been,_

_Since it's been over?_

If only he could go back. That's all he wanted was for things to return to the way they were. Before he hated himself. Before his hope had left him. Before his life had shattered before his eyes. He felt like he could just look over his shoulder and there his past life would be.

_Over my shoulder?_

_And under my skin?_

He would never be able to go back to those times.

Never.

_Will you ever return there again?_

He was stuck in this hell on earth.

At least until he was dead.

And by the way things were going, he expected that death would find him sooner than he wanted it to.


	14. After the Fact

**AN: Ok! We're getting somewhere now! Four reviews last chapter! That's more than I've gotten on any one chapter before! Good job guys! Now, I must apologize. This chapter is very short. But the one after this is going to be long and I hope you'll like it! Anyway, Chapter Twelve is here!**

**Chapter Twelve**

"There you are," Valerie said, as she walked into Danny's kitchen. During the funeral service, Valerie kept looking at the door, hoping Danny would keep his promise and come back. But he didn't. And Valerie didn't blame him. If it weren't for her dad sitting right next to her, she'd find him and comfort him. After the service, Valerie looked high and low for the boy, but he was nowhere to be found. Mr. Gray told his daughter that he might have just walked home, so they headed back. And sure enough, there he was sitting at the kitchen table, head hanging, almost as if he were trying to conceal his face from her.

Danny _was_ trying to conceal his face from her. He had only just stopped his sobbing, minutes before Mr. Gray and Valerie had gotten in the door. Mr. Gray seemed to take the hint that Valerie should be the one to talk to him and went silently upstairs. Valerie entered the kitchen and Danny hung his head lower. He didn't want to show Valerie the weakness he so longingly wished to be rid of.

"I'm sorry," Danny apologized quietly. "I…I just couldn't be there."

Valerie nodded. "I understand," she said.

Danny, still looking down, asked, "Did you guys read the will yet?"

Valerie hesitated, but nodded. "Yes, we did," she answered.

"I was right, wasn't I?" he asked.

She hesitated again, but nodded.

Danny wasn't surprised. He had foreseen this, so he had already accepted his ill fate. There was nothing he could do about where he was headed. The only thing he could do was let his destiny fall into place. Before today, he really thought that he would be able to clean up the shards of his shattered life. But now, it seemed they were only being stepped on and broken into even more pieces, making it harder for Danny to collect them again. "_Oh, stop with the pity party already," _he heard his other half tell him. _"You've had almost a week to get over it. Deal with it."_

Danny pushed the voice to the back of his mind. It was getting easier to resist him now. Maybe his ghost half wouldn't be a problem. That didn't mean the future was saved, though. There was still his judgment, his human half's judgment. And that was slowly changing as the days wore on.

"Danny, I'm sorry," Valerie said. "I wanted to say something, but … I promised you I wouldn't."

"I know," Danny said. "It's ok. There's nothing we can do now."

"Danny, don't say that," Valerie said.

"But it's true," Danny told her. "There's no denying the truth."

Valerie wanted to argue but she didn't think she could. She didn't have the energy.

"When am I leaving?" Danny asked.

"Friday," Valerie told him.

"That soon?" he wondered.

"Vlad wanted you there as soon as possible," Valerie said.

"Yeah, I'll bet," Danny mumbled.

Valerie wanted to stay more, to try and ease Danny's pain. But she felt that the best way to do that was just to let him be. She was betting that that was all he wanted right then. Some alone time. "I'll leave you alone, then," she said.

She turned to leave but Danny stopped her. "Hey, that thing in the parking lot," Danny said. "What…what was that?"

"Uh…" Valerie stammered. "N-nothing. Really. I just…it was nothing."

Danny nodded. He expected that much of a response. It was only wishful thinking to think she'd say different. If she had, though, that definitely would have made the situation a little brighter. "Just wondering," he said.

He wanted to tell Valerie how his feelings had changed for him in the past half a week. That when she held his hand like that in the parking lot, it made him forget, at least for a little while, what was happening to him, his life. That she might be the one who could convince him that his life wasn't over yet.

But something was holding him back. And Danny was pretty sure he knew what, or who it was.

All he had to do was keep fighting.

But what good would it do?


	15. Goodbye

**AN: Ok, I'm really sorry for not updating in forever, but I've been meaning to! Honest! I've just been a stupid procrastinator! (hits self on the head) Ok, I'm good now. Anyway, uhhhh….wait, what happened so far in this story? Sorry, I'm all scatter-brained (looks back at past chapters) Ok! That's where we are! Well! I hope you all enjoy! And remember: REVIEW OR DIE!!!!!!!!!!!! **

**Well….you get the point.**

**Chapter Thirteen**

Danny spent the next day packing all of his belongings. His mind was cleared from many of his haunting thoughts, but every once in a while, everything would hit him again and he'd have to sit down and collect himself. It wasn't easy rifling through all his old belongings when they all held so many memories. Valerie came and helped him out a few times, especially near the end of the day, before she decided to call it a night. At that time, Danny wasn't nearly done getting everything together.

By the time morning rolled around, however, he had everything packed and ready to go. When Valerie walked in at eight o' clock, she saw that the once messy room was terrifyingly empty. Three large suitcases and ten big boxes were all stacked up and ready for loading. Danny was finishing closing the fourth suitcase when she walked in.

"Wow!" she said. "This place looks completely different. You really got some work done."

"Yeah, well when you can't sleep and you're moving to Wisconsin in the morning, what choice do you have, really?" Danny joked. _First joke in a long time,_ he noticed.

Valerie seemed to notice, too. "I think you're getting to be your old self again," she said. "Slowly…but surely."

Danny clacked the case closed and sat it up. "I'm never going to be the same," he told her. "But I'm trying to come close."

Valerie smiled, sadly. Quickly, she thought of something else to say. "So, nothing else needs to be packed?" she asked, pointlessly.

"Nope," Danny confirmed, walking over to her. "It's all good. I'm amazed, actually. I didn't know I had so much stuff. I tried getting rid of some of it, but I couldn't bring myself to do it."

"Possessions are hard things to let go of," Valerie said. She knew the feeling. When her father lost his job, she had to let nearly all her possessions go: her house, her belongings. Danny was trying to scrounge up everything he had left and all he had, it seemed, was possessions.

"Yeah," he said, nostalgically.

"My dad said that you guys should get going soon. Wisconsin's a long drive," Valerie said, jerking a thumb toward the door.

"'You guys?'" Danny repeated. "You're not coming with?"

"No, I think its best I stay," she said. In truth, she knew that spending an entire car trip with Danny would just make it harder to say goodbye.

"Right," Danny nodded, although he didn't really understand why it was best. He looked around his blank room. It looked completely foreign, despite the fact that he'd been living in it practically since he was born. The painted walls were less bright as they had been in his childhood, and the familiar feeling of clutter was absent. It was as if he were in someone else's room entirely.

He chuckled a bit to himself. "I expected the day I left this place to be different," he said.

Valerie looked at him. Of course. Who expected to leave home at fourteen because they were orphaned and sent about as far away as you could get from your past life? But she was still curious. "What _did_ you expect?" she asked.

Danny thought a little bit about his answer, but soon spoke. "I expected going off to college, I guess. My mom and dad would come in, saying five thousand things to me. My mom would tell me to call if I every just wanted to talk, and my dad would tell me to call if I saw a ghost. I also imagined Jazz being there, too, even though I know she'd already be away at college by then. I still pictured her there, trying to give me advice on what's ahead, attempting to make it less confusing. I'd probably just nod and have everything she says go in one ear and out the other, though. She tends to want to ramble. She did that a lot. I guess smart people like doing that. Shows people how smart they really are.

"After that, I thought I'd get all my stuff in the back of the car and get ready to leave. I assumed Sam, Tucker, and I would all be going to the same school. We seemed like the kind of people who'd refuse to go our separate ways. They'd be out front, waiting to hit the road and drive off to our futures. Sam would be in the shot gun, taking command of the radio already. Tucker would have been too slow at calling shot gun, so he'd be in the back, but over and done with complaining about it already. I imagined Sam's hair longer, somehow. She never had really long hair for as long as I knew her, but I pictured this really long haired Sam. Maybe she might have even curled it a bit. Not likely, but I could see it.

"So, they'd be urging me to get a move on, and I turn back to face my family. I'd smile and say 'I really will miss you guys.' Cheesy, I know, but it's the cliché thing to do in a cliché moment. I don't know what would happen right after that. I was never really good with goodbyes, and I don't really expect I'll gain any skills in that field as life goes on. But I'll eventually get in the car and drive off, feeling one chapter's closing, but another's beginning." He stopped now, thinking about the image he had painted across his mind. "Weird how different it actually turned out, huh?" he asked.

Valerie was picturing the same thing at the moment. What Danny had imagined was the picture perfect way to leave home. Why couldn't things have gone like that, instead of the way they had? She smiled again. "Yeah," she said. "Weird."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Well," Danny said, closing the trunk to the car with a grunt. "That's the last of it."

All of Danny's belongings were packed up in the back of the Gray's car. Danny tried taking his time doing it, just to savor his last few moments he had left in Amity Park. But he had finished all too soon.

Valerie watched him as he slammed the hatch down. As he did so, it felt like he was slamming a hatch down on her stomach, too. Danny had mentioned he was bad with goodbyes, but she was willing to bet that she was worse. She didn't know what to say or what to do. Well, she could think of a few things to do, but she probably shouldn't.

Which probably meant she was going to anyway.

Danny, however, knew exactly what he was going to say. He looked at Valerie who was clearly nervous and upset. He sighed and walked over to her. "Valerie," he said. "There are two things I need to do before I go." He dug in his pocket and pulled out the glowing green Skeleton Key. Taking Valerie's hand, he put the Key in her palm and closed her fingers around it. "I need you to take this and hide it. Hide it somewhere no one would ever think of. Once you do, don't tell anyone. Don't tell your dad. Don't even tell me. Especially, don't tell me. If you're going to tell any one, make sure it isn't me. If anyone asks you about it, tell them nothing. Can you do that?"

Valerie looked at him very confused. "Why?" she asked, looking down at the Key enclosed in her grasp. "What's so important about-?"

"I can't explain." Danny said. "Just promise."

She hesitated, but she nodded, sliding the Key into the pocket of her shorts.

"Good," he said. "Now, I need to tell you something. You're most likely going to hate me for it and you might even try to hurt me, but I need to tell you and you need to listen. I have to do it quickly before I lose the opportunity, so I'm just going to come right out and say it. I'm-."

"Wait," Valerie said, putting a finger to his lips. He stopped abruptly, a bit glad she did. "Can I say something, too?"

_It better be quick,_ Danny thought. "Yeah, go ahead," he said.

What happened next was a shock to both of them. Valerie kept her hand on his cheek and quickly kissed him on the mouth. When this happened, Danny didn't really know how to respond. After a bit, though, instinct took over and he closed his eyes, letting the sensation of bliss rush over him. The kiss lasted very momentarily, but it seemed very long. Despite how lengthy it seemed, Danny was missing the warmth of her lips against his as soon as she pulled away from him.

They just stared at each other for a bit after that. "That's what I wanted to say," Valerie said, breaking the awkwardness.

Danny still couldn't speak.

"What did you need to say?" she asked.

Danny scanned his thoughts. What _did_ he need to say? For a brief moment, he couldn't remember a thing of his life before that kiss. Soon, though, his wits came back and he remembered what he was going to say. He was about to confess that he was Danny Phantom. He began to start back up again on the confession, but he caught himself. Why ruin the moment? She'd only be upset with him, and after something so perfect like that, it'd be a real shame for the two to say goodbye so bitterly.

"You know," he said. "It wasn't that important. I forgot completely."

Valerie just smiled as, just in the knick of time, her father came out the front door. "Alright," he said, as chipper as he could. "You ready, Danny?"

Danny looked past Valerie at Mr. Gray. "You bet," he said.

"Great. Let's hit the road."

As Mr. Gray went around and got in the driver's side of the car, Danny lingered a bit, clawing for the right words of farewell. He thought maybe there was one last chance for him to let her have the truth, but with a sigh, he said the only thing that he could think proper.

"Goodbye."

Danny didn't even wait for her to say it back, for he turned around, opened the car door, and shut it as soon as he got in. He looked sadly at the girl who had helped him through such a difficult time, regretting five million different things at once. But there was nothing more he could do about those regrets as Mr. Gray drove the car away from Fenton Works, leaving Valerie to shrink in the distance.

Danny looked out the back window of the car, until he saw the "Amity Park City Limits" sign fade away. It seemed so surreal that this might be the last time he'd ever see his home town. In a week's time, he'd be dead and gone, but Amity Park would continue to thrive without him. It was a depressing thought. "_Finally accepting your fate, I see?"_ he heard the voice in his head say. But he ignored it again. He was too tired, too confused, and too saddened to argue.

Just before Danny slipped into a sleep he greatly needed, he heard Mr. Gray say, "Alright, Danny. Next stop: Wisconsin."


End file.
